High-potential switch.



, length.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD S. HALSEY, OF PALMETTO, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL I ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

" HIGHEPOTENTIAL SWlTCHi Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 30, 1904. Serial No. 234,842.

To altwlwm it may concern:

Be it known that, I, EnwAnn S. HALsnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Palmetto, in the county of Manatee and State of Florida, have invented certain new and use- ,ful Improvements in High-Potential Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved form of switch mechanism for opening electrical circuits of high potential.

his well known that it. is practically impossible to open high-voltage circuits with ordinary'knifeblade switches, for the reason that the current will follow the switch-blade when it leaves the clip and will volatilize suflicient copper to maintain an arc of great handling of high-potential circuits, it is customary to break the circuit under oilihr to provide other special means for extinguishing the arc. Such constructions are for the most part complicated and expensive; and it is the object of this invention to provide a simwhich the condenser' is in circuit.

' ance because of its peculiar properties--snch ple and inexpensive high-potential switch which may be operated with certainty in the open air. I The invention comprises two eontact-disks separated by an air-gap and means for introducing this air-gap in series with the line to beopened and comprising also a condenser or other reactive device to be introduced in series with the air-gap. Vthen this air-gap is' introduced into the circuit, the current l readily jumps from one contact-disk to the other, forming an are between the two; but 1 when the reactance is introducedv in series with this are it .cuts down the current to such an extent that the arc goes out of its own accord. {have found that an electrolytic condenser'is particularly serviceable a react- To overcome these difliculties in the 5 for instance, as its ability to stand an exceedingly'high pressure and because of the fact that the capacity of such a condenser is to a certain extent a function of the time during The invention will be better understood by reference to the drawings't'orming a part of this specification, in which i Figure 1 is a perspective View of the contact-disks and the movable blade foropening the circuit. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the mode of connecting my iinproved switchingdevice incirc'uit with a high.-

Fig. 4' is a detail view showing one plate of the condenser and the wooden insulating-strips which serve to separate it from the next plate.

The baseplate 1, which may consist of slate or other good insulating material, has connected thereto the rubber standards 2 and 3, carrying at their extremities the circular contact-disks 4 and 5. These disks consist, prefers bly, of aluminium and are loosely mounted on the rubber standards, so that they may beturned by hand to present fresh surfaces toward each other if in the course of time the edges become scarred or roughened fromthe arc. At the top of another stand ard 6 is mounted a contact-blade 7, comprising two clips 8 and 9, adapted to-engage, respectively, with the upper and lower surfaces of the disks 4 and 5. Pivotally connected to the contact-blade 7 is an irregular-shaped lever 10, with which engages a coil-spring 11, connected to the insulating standard 12. When the switch is in the closed position, as shown in Fig. 2, the line of pull of the coilspring 11 falls slightly to the left of the pivot 7, so that there is no tendency for the contact-blade 7 to swing around to the right, and, furthernilore, it is prevented from mov'ng to the left, because of the fact that the .ower edge of the; blade strikes against the inner surface of the lever 10. An electrolytic condenser 15, of the form hereinafter described, is connected between the auxiliary contactdisk 5 and the contact-blade 7. When it is desired to open the switcln-the operator pushes against the projection 10 of the lever 10 with a stick of wood' or other insulating material and forces the arm 7 over until the line of pull of the coil-spring 11 falls to the right of the pivot 7, after which the coil-spring will around to the position shown in Fig. 1. When the con tact-blade leaves the main contact-disk 4, the current follows across to the auxiliary con tact-disk 5, establishing an arc across the airgap. The contact-blade 7 does not stop on the disk 5, but continues to swing to the right to the position shown in Fig. 1.. This move,- ment throws the condenser 15 in series wil the are and the absorbing power of the condenser quickly extinguishes the are. At the instant the contact-blade 7 leavcs disk 5 the condenser 15 is in shunt between these two.

' electrolytic condenser, constructed as soown 'zenininm plates, and although this osid is expsrts,lso that there iittlc tendency for the l formation of a spark as the blade leaves the disk. The circular form of the contact-disks l 1 and assists materially in the dissipation of the ere, for as the are is carried upward by the rush of heated air it increases in length 5 and is thus more easily broken when the condenser is thrown in circuit. A projection on the lever 10 efi'orrls a means for restoring the switch to its normal position, as shown in i Fig. 2, end at the some time acts as sutoinstic stop when the switch is opened by stril-zing' egeinsts pin 18. pessingthrough the blades 8 end 9. W hile I may use e condenser of O; nary form for this purpose li prefer to use an in Figs. 3 end t. llhis condenser consists of e plurality of aluminium plates 16. placed side by side and separated by wooden strips 17, seoured to the sides of thesluniininrn plates near the bottom sndeelg .s. TlXGSGPlMLQSZLI'BHRH/Hit," $6. in rectangular tank of insulating rnnteriei, and the joints at the co es of the aluminium cs are covered by insulating-varnish to form a plnz'siity of watertight compartments sepsrsteii hynlurnininm plates. These 2: tight compartments are filled with s suitehle electrolyte sucl for in; slice, as a solution of citric acid.

capacity efi'ect produced hysinniininni immersed in an electrolyte is commonly supposed to result from the production of thin coating: of aluminium oxid on the ole treniely thin it has the power of resisting o. coniperetively hi gh voltsgeq erticularly when a solution of citric acid. is used as elec trolytc. This thin filin is. however, niore'or less unstable. so that when the condenser is first tl' in circuit there is considerable of current ilireetly through. the conclenser hetero the iiirn has been suiiieicntiy produce t 0 niexin'nnn condenser action. 'this lenloge effect produces a. gzrsclnni in the veltsge drop such it condenser when connected in series with a high-voltage circuit. This property is of importance when such it condenser is used in connection with my improved switch. for the comienser presents a comparatively small resistance to the how of cor. ent at the instant it is thrown into circuit, or, other words, at the instant the switch-blade 7 lesves the edge of the contact-disk 5. so that there is little tendency "for the formation of s s es-h between the hind-e and the dish. As soon, however. as the film is completely formed on the plates of the condenser he voltage drop ncross the condenser oncl the condenser s ail)- sorhingg end hufiing ection ore slitiiciont to by Letters quickly estin ish the hem an the con iiitCilillShS i been broken there is no tendency to reestabconnected fr no the contact-disk and the corresponding; side-oi the high-pressure line.

tthst iclsim as new, and desire to secure Potent of the United States, is

1. The combination, with s.- high'notentm. line, of means for successively introducing so sir-gap and a condenser into said line to interrupt the current therein.

if" h inpotentinl switch. on

said sin s. snot mesns inr r v i u (463883 in some n seize we.

.z i I. otentini se t-co. com. an en yco L 3. A higl rosin comm gist e, niesns for forming no one hots and mesns connectci to ssitl sun in plate for decressi said. are.

4:. The combination, with nhish-potentiel the current cerried by line, of means for succes ively introo nc a: and an eiec tic condenser into said line to interrupt the current therein.

The comhinntioni, line, of n tin s, i eons for (irswino; on are to seitl gsistemnd en el "c cont iser connected to said plate to decrease current carried by said ere.

{5. The comhination. with e high-potentiei line, of s rosin contact-disk, on anxiiiery con- JZLCiwtiiSli spaced therefrom to fern. en sir-gen, s contnebhlecle movable to Sitiii auxiliary (iisk to establish on are therehetw Y and reactsnee device connected to ith. a high-potentisl x. SztlCi sci-runny ones to oecrczise the cinrent carried by said m m b.

ie eomcinetion. with n high-potential sin contest-disk, an auxiliary con-- cecl therei. n iiirs. cont-em, Mastic movable from rosin (lis to hlish on ere he encl. means for preventing are between ssid contact cry dish when said hlznlc leaves e'oxii dish.

A high-giotenumi r'witch, comprising a f l n eonteetwiislt, an auxiliary contect-clisl:

lierefroni to form on ei'i geip since 11' il can" movable from said inein ilislc to said cry dish to establish on ere between disks, and en electrolytic ooncienser con nee-ted between sehl amnzilisry disk and snid contact-blade to decrease the cnrrent cerried hy ssicl in witness whereof have hereunto set my hem? this th (icy of November, 1934-.

from szzial main dish 

